Texas congressman: Recall, replace John McCain over health care vote

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, said Arizona should recall and replace U.S. Sen. John McCain over his health care votes.

A Texas Republican congressman called on Arizona to recall U.S. Sen. John McCain and replace him with somebody who will vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert of Tyler, speaking on “Fox & Friends” Monday, said such a move would allow McCain to better fight brain cancer while letting Republicans pass a bill by U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana that would roll back President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.

“Nothing inhibits recovery from cancer like stress,” Gohmert said. “I think Arizona could help him and us — recall him, let him, you know, fight successfully this terrible cancer, and let’s get somebody in here who would keep the word he gave last year.”

The Arizona senator said last week that he could not support the Graham-Cassidy bill, casting doubt on its passage during a vote scheduled for later this week. McCain’s “no” vote in July doomed an earlier effort to roll back Obama’s health care law.

McCain, who campaigned on a promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, said in an interview aired Sunday night on “60 Minutes” that doctors have given him a “very poor prognosis” for recovery from glioblastoma, an aggressive and deadly brain tumor.

Gohmert, an outspoken conservative Republican, said McCain would not have been re-elected in 2016 had he been honest about his position on the Affordable Care Act. He also called President Donald Trump’s endorsement of McCain’s re-election bid “a rare mistake” by the president.